| KAMPALA
THE Director General of the Internal Security Organisation, Col. Elly Kayanja, has moved his family out of the country.
His four children are settling down in the United States, leaving the colonel, his wife, and one adult son as the only remaining family members in Uganda.
Family friends said that Kayanja, who is increasingly becoming uneasy for being regarded with suspicion by elements in the establishment, spirited his four children of primary and secondary school going age out of Uganda about two months ago at the height of questions on his loyalty to the system. He attempted to leave the country himself at about the same time but was denied a visa by the US Embassy. It is not clear whether he was also trying to resettle in America.
Damning report
A report by the Chieftaincy of Military Intelligence had accused him of being behind the incident in which one Charles Musisi got within effective killing distance of the President with a loaded pistol. However, the top army leadership now regards the CMI report as a malicious fabrication.
During the weekend Forces Council meeting, the Army Commander Lt. Gen. Aronda Nyakairima reportedly warned against intrigue in the army, and cited the Musisi case. He said officers were fighting each other and that the Musisi saga was an example of intrigue.
Out of order
At the weekend meeting in Bombo, Kayanja�s name was mentioned in connection with seeking media publicity. President Museveni reportedly told Kayanja that although he did a good job in stamping out armed robbery during Operation Wembley, he was out of order giving an interview in the press.
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Col. Kayanja |
In an interview with The Weekly Observer last July, Kayanja complained of colleagues� plotting to murder him. The president said army officers should not quarrel in the public.
Another source of discomfort for Kayanja is a recent audit of ISO�s weaponry, which discovered that 1,000 guns went missing from the organisation during Operation Wembley, the successful operation to crack down on armed criminals that Kayanja commanded.
Although the missing guns were not discussed at the Bombo meeting, Kayanja was reportedly grilled over them by the Reserve Force Commander, Lt. Gen. Salim Saleh last week.
The colonel�s latest fears stem from his alleged closeness to Vice President Gilbert Bukenya, a relationship that does not have the blessing of the Nyakairima.
The army leadership started getting uneasy with the relationship when Kayanja beefed up Bukenya�s security upon the professor�s being elevated to the vice presidency in May 2003. Elements in the Hig
h
Command also suspect Kayanja of being the main link between Bukenya and senior Baganda officers.
Museveni reportedly told Kayanja at the meeting that providing escorts was not his work, but the work of the army commander. His work was to gather information. Kayanja reportedly said he had provided more security for the VP because he was in charge of security in the central region.
Friends say Kayanja no longer feels secure in the country, which could be the main reason why he sent his family to the US, and that he also tried to leave before his efforts were frustrated by the US embassy.
The ISO weapons audit was carried out at the end of last year while Kayanja was already attending the senior officers� course going on at Kimaka Jinja. By the time he went to Kimaka a year ago, Kayanja was already a disgruntled officer and he revealed as much to The Weekly Observer.
Kayanja�s allegations of corruption barons in cabinet were echoed by his friend, Vi
ce
President Gilbert Bukenya 10 months later, who also said corrupt colleagues were trying to pull him down.
Bukenya threatened to spill the beans over the owners of the monuments of corruption in Kololo, Nakasero and Bugolobi. Like Kayanja, Bukenya also did not give names of the corrupt ministers.
Kayanja�s situation is more tricky than Bukenya�s because as a serving military officer, he can be court martialled for raising issues in the �wrong forum� while the worst that can happen to Bukenya is to be relieved of his duties.
It is an ironic twist that Kayanja�s troubles are coming so soon even before Brig. Henry Tumukunde�s woes are concluded. Kayanja replaced Tumukunde as ISO chief in an acrimonious process which first came to light at a presidential press conference.
In a humiliating moment for Tumukunde, the President put Kayanja on a pedestal over his Operation Wembley exploits while his Director General looked on. | 
